Electrical coupling device

ABSTRACT

Electrical coupling device with a measuring contact bank fixedly mounted on an appliance frame and a bush contact bank arranged inside a housing, where one of the front ends of the housing can be fixed on the appliance frame while its other front end can be fastened by means of a hook provided on the housing and a corresponding nose on the apparatus frame. In said electrical device, the housing (5) is provided with a frame (9) and modular bush contacts (11) are arranged in the inner part (9&#39;) of the housing.

The invention relates to an electrical coupling device with a bladecontact strip fixed to an equipment frame and a socket contact stripcontained in a housing, in which the housing can be mounted on pivotpins on the equipment frame at a frontal end, and at the other frontalend, a hook arranged on the housing and a projection assigned to it onthe equipment frame can be locked together to attach it.

In known coupling devices of this type, a one-piece socket contact stripwith a large number of pre-determined socket elements is arranged in ahousing, and it can be coupled with the blade contacts of the equipmentframe by pivoting the housing against the equipment frame. It is adisadvantage in these devices that for coupling procedures with adifferent number of socket contacts, socket contact strips withdifferent components always have to be inserted into the housing, whichrequires a large expenditure for material and inventory. In addition, areplacement of socket contact strips is, in total, difficult andtime-consuming.

It is the task of the invention to create measures for socket contactstrips that can be equipped and changed as desired.

According to the invention, it is provided for this purpose that thehousing has a frame and that socket contacts set in modular fashion arearranged in the interior of the frame. In this manner, it is possible toset up socket contact strips with a predetermined structure, in the formof a modular system, by inserting modules equipped with a desired numberof socket elements and arranging them in the housing. The frame, whichremains the same, can hold modules with different components and ofvarying length, and thereby form socket contact strips with the numberof socket contacts corresponding to the requirements in question. Thusit is also possible to use empty modules, between or along with moduleswith socket contacts arranged in them.

In a version of the coupling device, it is provided that the moduleswhich hold the socket contacts have supporting strips on the end facingaway from the blade contacts, which strips can be supported on thelongitudinal frame sections, and recesses with contact areas forsupporting elements arranged on the longitudinal frame sections at thedistance of the supporting strips. In this way, insertion of the modulesrequires simple plug-in steps, until the supporting strips come upagainst the longitudinal frame sections, and when the working positionof the modules in the frame has been reached, automatic fixation of themodules can also be achieved. Preferably, the supporting elements areformed by projections or molded pieces arranged on the inside of thestrip sections cut to be part of the longitudinal frame sections. Thestrip sections give the advantage that during plug-in steps of themodules, the projections or molded pieces are first automatically movedoutward by the module housings, against material stress, and thenautomatically snap back when the working position of the modules hasbeen reached, over the contact areas. Preferably, the supportingelements are structured at pre-determined distances along thelongitudinal frame sections, with the distance of the supportingelements from one another following a grid dimension, especially avariable one.

In a further version of the coupling device, it is provided that thelongitudinal frame sections are provided with coding elements on theinside, which mesh with coding recesses of the modules. The codingcomponents present the insertion of incorrect modules into the frame.The coding elements can be formed by strips which extend in theinsertion direction of the modules and the recesses of the modules canbe formed by corresponding grooves formed in the module housings.

Finally, it is also provided to provide at least one groove/springarrangement for the modules in the common separation surfaces. Thegroove/spring arrangement results in an alignment of the modulesrelative to one another, in the longitudinal direction of the housing.In addition, the groove/spring arrangement prevents lateral movement ofthe modules relative to one another and relative to the frame sections,which is undesirable for precise coupling.

In order to obtain frames resistant to bending for coupling devices withhousings of greater length, it is provided that the longitudinal framesections are rigidly connected with one another by at least onecross-stay. The cross-stays can have at least one spring with the samecross-section as the grooves of the modules on one side, and at leastone groove with the same cross-section as the springs of the modules onthe other side. It is understood that for socket contact housings with agreat width, two or more springs and grooves can be arranged on thecross-stays.

Furthermore, it is also provided to provide the modules with a number ofprepared core openings which can be equipped with socket contacts, intowhich the socket contacts can be supported on the module housing and canbe locked in place with clamping elements. Slides which can be broughtinto the core opening can serves as clamping elements, with these slideslocking the socket contacts in place directly, or allowing fixation ofthe socket contacts in the core openings via a wall section which can bebent away and is fixed to the module housing.

In order to simplify removal of the socket contact housing from theequipment frame, the invention also provides that the hook which holdsthe housing to the equipment frame has a fixed eye which serves as theactivation element for the hook, and that by pivoting the eye away, thehook can be pivoted freely away from the projection which is fixed tothe equipment frame. The eye results in a lever effect, which makes freemovement of the hook possible with little expenditure of force.

The invention is explained in the drawings, on the basis of anembodiment. The figures show:

FIG.1: a coupling device in cross-section,

FIG.2: a socket contact housing in a side view, partially incross-section,

FIG.3: a socket contact housing in a top view,

FIG.4: a cross-section along the line IV--IV of FIG. 3,

FIG.5: a module for holding socket contacts in a front view, partiallyin cross-section,

FIG.6: a module according to FIG.5 in a side view,

FIG.7: a module according to FIG.5 in a top view,

FIG.8: a module of a different version in a top view, and

FIG.9: a block system with modules for a socket contact strip.

In the figures, 1 indicates an equipment frame, which holds a bladecontact strip not shown in greater detail. One blade contact 2 of theblade contact strip is shown. The equipment frame 1 has eyes 3, intowhich a housing 4 can be mounted to pivot, by means of pivot pins 5. Thehousing 4 serves to hold socket contacts and can be locked in place onthe equipment frame 1, at the end facing away from the pivot pins, bymeans of a hook 6. For this purpose, the hook 6 locks in place behind aprojection 7, which is rigidly attached to the equipment frame. The hook6 has a rigidly attached eye 8, which allows pivoting movement of thehook 6 in a counter-clockwise direction, to release it, when the eye ispressed upward. There is also the other possibility of arranging thehook 6 on the equipment frame 1 and the projection 7 on the housing 4.

As FIG. 3, in particular, shows, the housing 4 has a frame 9. In theinterior 9' of the frame 9, a number of pre-determined modules 10 (FIG.5-8) with socket contacts 11 arranged in core openings 10' can beinserted, corresponding a modular system (FIG. 9). The modules 10 can beput into place in the interior 9' from the top, until they come to restagainst supporting strips 12 which are rigidly attached to the module,and are fixed in place when they reach this working position, by meansof supporting elements 13. The supporting elements 13 are arranged oncut strip sections 14 of the longitudinal frame sections 9", and covercontact areas 15 on the modules 10, provided in the area of recesses 26.By means of the supporting strips 12 and the supporting elements 13, themodules 10 are held firmly in place in the frame 9. The longitudinalframe sections 9" have coding strips 16, which can be brought to causetheir effect with recesses 17 in the housings of the modules 10.Corresponding to the structure of the coding strips 16 and recesses 17,incorrect insertion of the modules 10 is precluded. The socket contacts11 rest against supporting surfaces 23 in the core openings 10', and arefixed in place in the modules 10 by wall sections 25 which can bepivoted away by means of slides 24. The slides 24 can lock into recesses26 of the module housing.

It is understood that any desired number of modules 10 with any desiredstructure, including blank modules, can be placed in the frame,resulting in the socket contact strip in combination with one another.The longitudinal frame sections 9" are rigidly connected with oneanother by a cross-stay 18, preventing undesirable twisting of thelongitudinal frame sections 9" or bending of these, which are a cause ofinsecure or inaccurate hold of the modules 10. The stay 18 has at leastone groove 19 on one side and at least one spring 20 on the oppositeside, which can be brought to cause their effect with correspondinggrooves 21 and spring 22 on the modules 10. The springs 22 and grooves21 of the modules 10 allow their axial alignment relative to one anotherand relative to the frame sections 9".

We claim:
 1. Electrical coupling device comprising:an equipment framehaving a first end and a second end, said equipment frame having aprojection; a blade contact strip fixed to said equipment frame; ahousing having a hook; a socket contact strip contained in said housing;said housing being mounted on pivot pins on the equipment frame at thefirst end, and at the second end of the frame, said hook being arrangedon the housing and said projection aligned with said hook so that theequipment frame can be locked together to said housing; said housinghaving a frame; modules held by said frame, said modules having socketcontacts capable of being plugged into said frame; said frame havinglongitudinal frame sections equipped on the inside with strips whichextend in the insertion direction of the modules; said strips being usedas coding elements, and said frame having cut strip sections havingmolded piece projections being supporting elements for said modules; andsaid modules having supporting strips, and said supporting elementsforming abutments for said supporting strips arranged on said modules.2. Coupling device according to claim 1,wherein said equipment frame hasa blade contact at the first end and said modules have supporting stripson the end facing away from the blade contact; and said modules haverecesses with contact areas for said supporting elements at a distancefrom said supporting strips.
 3. Coupling device according to claim1,wherein the supporting elements are arranged on the longitudinal framesections in a grid arrangement.
 4. Coupling device according to claim1,further comprising said modules having at least one groove/springarrangement in the common separation surfaces of adjacent modules. 5.Coupling device according to claim 1,further comprising at least onecross-stay; said longitudinal frame sections being rigidly connectedwith one another by said at least one cross-stay; said cross-stay havingat least one spring with the same cross-section as the grooves of themodules on one side, and at least one grove with the same cross-sectionas the springs of the modules on the other side.
 6. Coupling deviceaccording to claim 1,wherein said module having a supporting surface anda wall recess made movable by a slider; and said modules have a numberof prepared core openings equipped with socket contacts; and said socketcontacts being locked in place in said core openings between saidsupporting surface and said wall recesses made movable by said slider.7. Coupling device according to claim 1,wherein said hook holds thehousing to the equipment frame having a fixed eye which is theactivation element for said hook and that by pivoting the eye away, saidhook can be pivoted freely away from the projection which is fixed tothe equipment frame.